Horror movie 'Zydeco' filmed in Louisiana

Wednesday

A new monster in the horror genre is making his debut. His name is "Zydeco," and he hails from Central Louisiana.

A new monster in the horror genre is making his debut. His name is "Zydeco," and he hails from Central Louisiana.

Three years in the making, the film was written and directed by David Noble, and produced by his wife, Sunny.

A Halloween mask inspired Dave to begin writing a horror film with a Cajun flavor in 2008.

The movie was shot two years later in the Leesville area, while Noble, a major in the U.S. Army, was stationed at Fort Polk.

Actors enthusiastically pitched in with off camera duties during production on weekends.

The cast and crew is made up of Louisiana talent, and for some, this is their first experience in film making.

Noble noticed 6' 6" Elgin Foster strolling through the PX at Fort Polk, and cast him in the title role.

Foster had never acted, but found a passion for the art during filming playing the title character.

Courtney Shay Young and LaTasha Williams play friends who become lost in Central Louisiana, and are stalked by the monster. Both women have acting credits, and Young is a dancer.

Cast and crew members hail from the Bayou State, and responded to online casting calls.

The Nobles have written, filmed, and edited a number of short films, but "Zydeco" is their first feature length film.

Dave published "Fan Films Quarterly" magazine from 2005 to 2007, when he deployed to Iraq.

The advent of the internet has brought fan films into the mainstream. There are frame by frame, and uniquely creative, tributes to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and many other beloved films.

The annual crush of fans at Comic-Con in San Diego has inspired festivals across the country, including BayouCon in Lake Charles.

The Nobles were at the first BayouCon in 2010, where Dave discussed fan films. He began making short fan films in 1995.

Some of the titles include "The Disagreement," about a fight between Cat Woman and Wonder Woman, "Donna Parker: Green Lantern," "Resident Evil: Jill Valentine," and "Hidden Friend," a nod to Transformers.

The Nobles currently call Seoul, Korea home.

"The Korean film industry is large, and there is so much to take in over here," said Dave in an e-mail."There is even a smaller, yet strong foreign independent community in the Seoul area. Known as the Seoul Filmmaker's Workshop, and led by Sonny Side Films, the group meets monthly and collaborate on many projects, ranging from music videos to short films. There is a lot of talent here to pool from."

The Nobles completed post-production on "Zydeco" and the film was released on DVD in February. A few scenes were added in Korea with actors Miles Meili and Liam Andrews.

The movie has been submitted to a number of film festivals, both in the U.S. and overseas.

"While we have submitted to about a dozen horror film festivals around the world, we have not been accepted into any official film selections yet," said Dave. "But we think the major announcements will come in time for Halloween, so we still have a few months to wait.

"The feedback has been mixed, honestly, as we knew going in to this project that there would be some drawbacks," Noble continued. "We have since acquired more camera, audio, and lighting equipment because of "Zydeco." However, the lessons we learned made the effort worth the pain, and hopefully will help us mature with higher quality projects in the future."

Production on a new film began this spring. "Messages" is the story of a young Korean girl who uses a lantern to communicate with family in North Korea. The film is a departure from previous projects.

"While it is fun to make fan films and horror projects, at some point you need to broaden your horizons," said Dave. "However, this doesn't mean that we won't plunge back into superheroes and blood. We just need to find the right story to tell. "Messages" was inspired by the compelling stories of the division between north and south Korea.

"We found a ceremonial lantern in Thailand that, when a candle in placed inside, will fly in the air wherever the wind takes it," said Noble. "That inspired us to develop a short drama, and we think this will be a good one. We are hoping it will be a quality 20 minute short film."

The Nobles are also experimenting with a variety of ways to make modern film. Their work is on their website, on DVD, on YouTube, and "Zydeco" is available at www.filmbaby.com.

"We had always wanted to tell a story about ghosts, and we almost created a version of Paranormal Activity filmed entirely on an iPad," said Noble.

"We were going to call it "iScare" or something, and it would have been more of a concept film, but in the end there is so much going on over here that we are having trouble finding the time to even organize projects," he continued. "But we are slow and steady in making "Messages" everything we want it to be."

The Nobles probably won't return to Louisiana in the near future, and expect to be in Korea about two years.

"I don't believe I will make it back to the Fort Polk area, not that I don't miss it," said Dave. "Our time there was a great experience, one we will never forget."

"Zydeco" is in the running at Fear Fete, a horror festival for independent filmmakers slated for October 5-7 in Baton Rouge.

"In my heart of hearts I want to keep making fun movies," said Noble.

For more information, and to view clips, visit www.stormfrontentertainment.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.